Articles | Volume 19, issue 10
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-4835-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-4835-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
21 Oct 2025
Research article |
| 21 Oct 2025
| 21 Oct 2025
Modeling the impacts of climate trends and lake formation on the retreat of a tropical Andean glacier (1962–2020)
Department of Geography, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, 43210, USA
Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, 43210, USA
Bryan G. Mark
Department of Geography, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, 43210, USA
Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, 43210, USA
Nathan D. Stansell
Department of Earth, Atmosphere, and Environment, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois, 60115, USA
Rolando Cruz Encarnación
Autoridad Nacional del Agua, Huaraz, 02002, Perú
Henry H. Brecher
Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, 43210, USA
deceased
Zhengyu Liu
Department of Geography, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, 43210, USA
Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, 43210, USA
Bidhyananda Yadav
Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, 43210, USA
Forrest S. Schoessow
Department of Geography, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, 43210, USA
Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, 43210, USA
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Luca Carturan, Alexander C. Ihle, Federico Cazorzi, Tiziana Lazzarina Zendrini, Fabrizio De Blasi, Giancarlo Dalla Fontana, Giuliano Dreossi, Daniela Festi, Bryan Mark, Klaus Dieter Oeggl, Roberto Seppi, Barbara Stenni, and Paolo Gabrielli
The Cryosphere, 19, 3443–3458, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-3443-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-3443-2025, 2025
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Paleoclimatic glacial archives in low-latitude mountains are increasingly affected by melt, causing heavy percolation and removing snow and firn accumulated across months, seasons, or even years. Here we present a proxy system model that explicitly accounts for melt in ice and firn cores. Compared to traditional annual layer counting, the model significantly improved the interpretation and annual dating of the Mt Ortles firn core, in the Italian Alps, which includes the very warm summer of 2003.
Takashi Obase, Laurie Menviel, Ayako Abe-Ouchi, Tristan Vadsaria, Ruza Ivanovic, Brooke Snoll, Sam Sherriff-Tadano, Paul J. Valdes, Lauren Gregoire, Marie-Luise Kapsch, Uwe Mikolajewicz, Nathaelle Bouttes, Didier Roche, Fanny Lhardy, Chengfei He, Bette Otto-Bliesner, Zhengyu Liu, and Wing-Le Chan
Clim. Past, 21, 1443–1463, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-1443-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-1443-2025, 2025
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This study analyses transient simulations of the last deglaciation performed by six climate models to understand the processes driving high-southern-latitude temperature changes. We find that atmospheric CO2 and AMOC (Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation) changes are the primary drivers of the warming and cooling during the middle stage of the deglaciation. The analysis highlights the model's sensitivity of CO2 and AMOC to meltwater and the meltwater history of temperature changes at high southern latitudes.
Peter U. Clark, Jeremy D. Shakun, Yair Rosenthal, Chenyu Zhu, Patrick J. Bartlein, Jonathan M. Gregory, Peter Köhler, Zhengyu Liu, and Daniel P. Schrag
Clim. Past, 21, 973–1000, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-973-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-973-2025, 2025
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We reconstruct changes in mean ocean temperature (ΔMOT) over the last 4.5 Myr. We find that the ratio of ΔMOT to changes in global mean sea surface temperature was around 0.5 before the Middle Pleistocene transition but was 1 thereafter. We subtract our ΔMOT reconstruction from the global δ18O record to derive the δ18O of seawater. Finally, we develop a theoretical understanding of why the ratio of ΔMOT / ΔGMSST changed over the Plio-Pleistocene.
Kara A. Lamantia, Laura J. Larocca, Lonnie G. Thompson, and Bryan G. Mark
The Cryosphere, 18, 4633–4644, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4633-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4633-2024, 2024
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Glaciers that exist within tropical regions are vital water resources and excellent indicators of a changing climate. We use satellite imagery analysis to detect the boundary between snow and ice on the Quelccaya Ice Cap (QIC), Peru, which indicates the ice cap's overall health. These results are analyzed with other variables, such as temperature, precipitation, and sea surface temperature anomalies, to better understand the factors and timelines driving the ice retreat.
Lingwei Li, Zhengyu Liu, Jinbo Du, Lingfeng Wan, and Jiuyou Lu
Clim. Past, 20, 1161–1175, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-1161-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-1161-2024, 2024
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Radiocarbon proxies suggest that the deep waters are poorly ventilated during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Here we use two transient simulations with tracers of radiocarbon and ideal age to show that the deep-ocean ventilation age is not much older at the LGM compared to the present day because of the strong glacial Antarctic Bottom Water transport. In contrast, the ventilation age is older during deglaciation mainly due to weakening of Antarctic Bottom Water transport.
Thomas R. Chudley, Ian M. Howat, Bidhyananda Yadav, and Myoung-Jong Noh
The Cryosphere, 16, 2629–2642, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2629-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2629-2022, 2022
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Sentinel-2 images are subject to distortion due to orthorectification error, which makes it difficult to extract reliable glacier velocity fields from images from different orbits. Here, we use a complete record of velocity fields at four Greenlandic outlet glaciers to empirically estimate the systematic error, allowing us to correct cross-track glacier velocity fields to a comparable accuracy to other medium-resolution satellite datasets.
Emilio I. Mateo, Bryan G. Mark, Robert Å. Hellström, Michel Baraer, Jeffrey M. McKenzie, Thomas Condom, Alejo Cochachín Rapre, Gilber Gonzales, Joe Quijano Gómez, and Rolando Cesai Crúz Encarnación
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 2865–2882, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-2865-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-2865-2022, 2022
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This article presents detailed and comprehensive hydrological and meteorological datasets collected over the past two decades throughout the Cordillera Blanca, Peru. With four weather stations and six streamflow gauges ranging from 3738 to 4750 m above sea level, this network displays a vertical breadth of data and enables detailed research of atmospheric and hydrological processes in a tropical high mountain region.
Sarah U. Neuhaus, Slawek M. Tulaczyk, Nathan D. Stansell, Jason J. Coenen, Reed P. Scherer, Jill A. Mikucki, and Ross D. Powell
The Cryosphere, 15, 4655–4673, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4655-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4655-2021, 2021
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We estimate the timing of post-LGM grounding line retreat and readvance in the Ross Sea sector of Antarctica. Our analyses indicate that the grounding line retreated over our field sites within the past 5000 years (coinciding with a warming climate) and readvanced roughly 1000 years ago (coinciding with a cooling climate). Based on these results, we propose that the Siple Coast grounding line motions in the middle to late Holocene were driven by relatively modest changes in regional climate.
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Short summary
Queshque Glacier of Peru's tropical Andes has retreated rapidly since the mid-20th century. Using a glacier model, we show that this has primarily been driven by steady warming despite the counteracting effect of recent snowfall amounts. Independently from climatic trends, we find that the formation of a new lake at the glacier's base has further accelerated ice loss. This research demonstrates the utility of empirical glacier models for interpreting past and future changes in the tropics.
Queshque Glacier of Peru's tropical Andes has retreated rapidly since the mid-20th century....
